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Red, Black, and Blues presented by Jon Hill,
as part of the 2014 Umass Native American Studies and Indigenous Week

The Indian Album: Jimi Hendrix

The conference center at Umass Amherst is filled with people from the campus and surrounding community. A great presentation about the intersection of Native American, African American, and Blues/Jazz music traditions and how they made some famous singers, artists, song-writers, and music that many people associate with American music today. Jon is also on guitar as pictured in the far right. Great job, Jon!

Warren Griffin, a Native Tribal Scholars instructor, poses for the camera. Also, with him are performers from the band “Red, Black, and Blues”, singer Martha Redbone, and poet/writer Ron Welburn.

Jon Hill, NTS mentor and instructor, at the UMASS-Amherst Native American and Indigenous Studies Conference with Jennifer Rolenz, part the Aptucxet Trading Post Museum presentation
A group from the Native Tribal Scholars Program presenting with mentors at the UMASS-Amherst Conference.

It was a gorgeous and sunny day at New Haven, Connecticut just after a snowy day had dusted the campus early the previous morning. We were able to tour the campus and the Native American Cultural Center at Yale with all the interesting and deep history of the place and the town.

Thank you to the Native American Cultural Center and all the native students who came to support the film screening and the lecture by Brown University faculty! We want to especially thank Tyler and his organizing efforts and thinking of us to bring us here. All the students and faculty were amazing and very warm and made us feel comfortable with their welcome song by the Blue Feather Drum Group.

Thanks to all who were able to come and make the trip to see us, feeding us with a great dinner, and asking great questions about the film!

It was a gorgeous and sunny day at New Haven, Connecticut just after a snowy day had dusted the campus early the previous morning. We were able to tour the campus and the Native American Cultural Center at Yale with all the interesting and deep history of the place and the town.

Thank you to the Native American Cultural Center and all the native students who came to support the film screening and the lecture by Brown University faculty! We want to especially thank Tyler and his organizing efforts and thinking of us to bring us here. All the students and faculty were amazing and very warm and made us feel comfortable with their welcome song by the Blue Feather Drum Group.

Thanks to all who were able to come and make the trip to see us, feeding us with a great dinner, and asking great questions about the film!

The annual winter retreat is on February 21-22, 2014 and questions can be directed to Warren Griffin at Wgriffin@mwtribe.com for anyone interested in attending or meeting folks with the Native Tribal Scholars Program!

This is a late Thanksgiving (or what some call “Thanks-taking”) post to wish all a happy holiday and a good time with friends, family, and loved ones. Here is a clip from “After the Mayflower” from the We Shall Remain series that came out some years ago to give people a better idea, not the best idea, but better than what is floating around out there in popular culture and media, American mythology, and just plain old misinformation and prejudice. Remember three things: 1) Native Americans have their own side of the story, their version of the truth regarding Thanksgiving and you should ask them 2) Indigenous peoples live with the consequences of First Contact EVERYDAY, this is also known as historical trauma, and 3) Being thankful is a way of life for Indian people because it is a fundamental living philosophy for indigenous people everywhere meant for everyday, not just one day of the year.

Let us be grateful for all we do have, especially each other, and our continuing survival on our own lands. Prayers of thanks to our Creator.

An extraordinary couple embarks on a journey INTO the heart of AMERICA starting in the water metropolis of Seattle and heading for THE sacred ANCESTORS’ LAND on the arid Navajo Reservation. Showing a dramatic family portrait of a loving grandmother, Helen Yellowman – an enchanting traditional Navajo storyteller who refuses to speak English – and her adult grandson, Angelo Baca – a young academic who commutes between the two worlds, this road trip reveals an unknown America. As both navigate through America’s contradictions, nonetheless celebrating their strong connection to the homeland, it gradually comes to light: the Ancestors’ Lands are being desecrated.

Thank you to the Native Tribal Scholars program for their support and encouragement with filmmaking and education. I hope that I will get to screen this for the NTS students next year or sometime during this school year to bring the story to their community and educate ourselves as well as others. Thank you to all my native family, friends, loved ones, and of course, my Navajo people.